


A Love Story

by IWillSingWithYou



Category: One Direction (Band), X Factor (UK) RPF
Genre: AU, Actor Louis, Actor!Louis, Drug Use, Famous Louis, High School, M/M, Movie Star Louis, Pining, alcohol use, alternative universe, pot
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-03-05
Updated: 2014-03-05
Packaged: 2018-01-14 15:32:51
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,572
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1271839
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/IWillSingWithYou/pseuds/IWillSingWithYou
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The thing is, Harry finds it quite frustrating how hard he has to try to make people believe that his story with Louis Tomlinson is not, in fact, a love story. Every time someone asks “You know Louis Tomlinson?” he feels the urge to groan because here we go again. He almost resents Louis for going all movie star on them all and imposing the same bloody conversation on everyone who had even a fleeting knowledge of who he was before ‘Machine’.</p><p>OR</p><p>Harry knew Louis in school before he became a movie star and maybe that's their love story.</p>
            </blockquote>





	A Love Story

**Author's Note:**

> It's 5 am. I was falling asleep when this story came to me and I had to write it. Obviously it's not beta-ed. I make a lot of mistakes in English, correct me if you want.  
> This was a weird story for me because it started out very autobiographical and it makes me a bit nauseous to put it out there (which is why I'm not gonna wait until rest takes away my courage).  
> I hope you like it.

**A love story**

 

 

The thing is, Harry finds it quite frustrating how hard he has to try to make people believe that his story with Louis Tomlinson is not, in fact, a love story. Every time someone asks “You know Louis Tomlinson?” he feels the urge to groan because here we go again. He almost resents Louis for going all movie star on them all and imposing the same bloody conversation on everyone who had even a fleeting knowledge of who he was before ‘Machine’. 

He doesn’t actually resent him for it, though. Louis made people see that Harry’s favourite book wasn’t just a little fantasy for kids but a complex social criticism and even a philosophical statement.  Louis is a remarkable actor. Harry thinks that the industry hasn’t seen someone quite like him in a very long time. 

Still, he has only told a few people the whole extent of his story with Louis Tomlinson. Not because it is a secret, or even anything important in any way. It’s just that people tend to misinterpret it. So he usually tells the story like this. 

 

\-----

 

Harry first met Louis when they were both high as hell. He was hanging out with some friends when one of them suggested they go to the Ring. The Ring was an abandoned parking lot close to their school. It was called that because it was square. That’s it. Harry was sure it made sense somehow.

He was just learning back then, but it was a favourite spot for those looking to smoke a bit without anyone judging. It was one of Harry’s first times there. But one of his friends, Zayn, was quite familiar with the place. And that was cool. Harry felt cool. When they arrived there were already some people smoking, people from sixth form that Harry recognised from the halls and from whispered conversations.

They were all so cool Harry could hardly bear it. Then he saw his sister and felt like an idiot. She didn’t make a fuss about it. Just smiled at him and introduced him to everyone.

“This is Louis. Louis, this is my awkward little brother, Harry.” She said and they smiled politely at each other. Harry thought Louis had very long teeth. Louis got bored with him very quickly and kidnaped Zayn to try and fly Mary Poppins style with Harry’s umbrella by jumping from a low wall. They broke the umbrella. Harry didn’t mind, even if it had been rather nice to have the monstrous thing that could cover five people easily. 

 

He didn’t think about Louis Tomlinson until months later when he was sitting around the fire with his friends in his step-father’s bungalow eating fajitas he had just prepared for them all. 

“I have a crush on Louis Tomlinson.” Jesy said drunkenly and everyone cheered.

“Wait. Who’s Louis Tomlinson?” Harry asked.

“Er… Sort of tan, brown hair, blue eyes, cute as fuck. He was in the school play.” Jesy explained gesticulating widely. Harry shook his head, lost. “He’s friends with your sister!” 

“Harry, Harry, he goes to the Ring.” Zayn intervened.

“Oh! Oh, yeah. The guy with the, “ Harry made a vague gesture to his own mouth, “Teeth.”  

The whole group went quiet for a moment looking at Harry like he’d just grown another head. 

“You’re so fucking weird, Harry.” Niall said around a blunt. 

When he started lower sixth he was surprised to see Louis in his class. He knew Louis was almost three years older than him. Harry was a year younger than his classmates, having skipped a grade in primary school, but he still didn’t quite understand what Louis was doing there. Zayn went to him all casual and Harry followed because he didn’t know that many people and Zayn was his best friend. 

“Oh, I just really want to get into this drama school, but I need really good grades in sixth form and my A levels. I didn’t get good enough grades last year so I decided to take it again.” Zayn nodded along to Louis’ words, as if they made perfect sense. Harry just stayed back because he had nothing to say to that. He couldn’t believe someone was so passionate about anything. He wouldn’t retake a year even if it meant he had to work as a waiter for the rest of his life. 

“How about you, Curly, what are your plans when you get out of here?” Harry startled at being called. He hadn’t thought Louis would notice him. 

“I’m not sure, really. I think maybe music production. Anything that gets me closer to music without actually having to make it.” Louis hummed like he understood perfectly while Zayn turned to look at Harry in surprise. Harry rolled his eyes. So what if two weeks before he had wanted to study sociology. Things change. Not everyone can know who they are and what they want at 15. Harry still had time. 

 

So they were in most of the same courses during sixth form. They weren’t friends. Zayn talked to Louis quite often. Zayn was Harry’s best friend — still is. But Louis spent most of his time during lower sixth with his upper sixth friends. Gemma was in uni already but a lot of people from her group were a year after her and those were Louis’ friends. They went to the same parties sometimes and they had a few conversations while high or drunk, but they weren’t friends. 

 

Harry had a little hope that when they started upper sixth Louis would start hanging out with Harry and his friends a bit more. After all, they were all from the Ring, and if Louis’ other friends graduated, then he would need new friends. Who better than the rest of the same group? But that wasn’t how it worked out. Louis started to talk to the smart kid in their year, Liam, and in upper sixth they were quite close and hung out with their own little group. 

Harry and Liam had been good childhood friends, before Harry’s parents divorced, but as his life changed, Liam stayed behind with many other things. Still, they were on friendly terms and Harry used that to get a little closer to Louis. Not because he liked him or anything. He was just cool. Then they graduated and Harry hasn’t seen Louis since. Not in person. 

 

And that was it, really. When he tells the story like that, people nod and move on. Yeah, he knew Louis Tomlinson, they were in class together. 

But sometimes, to very select people, in very specific situations, he tells the details in the story. The little things that made a fleeting acquaintance something Harry holds quite dearly in his mind. 

 

 

He tells them about the time they were all hanging out in Harry’s house on a friday evening and everyone followed Zayn on a quest for liquor except for Liam, Harry and Louis. Liam was leading the conversation. 

“Oh, and Zayn-I’m-so-far-in-my-closet-I-have-a-home-in-Narnia, he’s such a pussy. It’s not like everyone can’t tell already.”

Harry frowned a bit. He wasn’t sure where the aggression was coming from. He knew Zayn was gay as he had come out to his closest friends two years before. It wasn’t public knowledge and Harry didn’t see why it should be. It was such a private thing. He looked up, still wondering what he should say and saw Louis looking at him with a strange expression on his face.

“Don’t say stuff like that, mate.” Louis said and Harry’s eyes widened in surprise. “It’s not your problem who he likes. And it makes you sound like an arsehole.” 

Liam cleared his throat and looked away, obviously wanting Louis’ approval like everyone else in their year. Out of Liam’s line of sight, Louis pressed a hand to the back of Harry’s neck. He sought Harry’s eyes and looked apologetic. Harry nodded quickly and bumped his shoulder with Louis’. 

 

A few weeks later there was another small party, this time at Jesy’s. They were all very drunk and very high. Harry took it easier than the rest that night. Zayn had had to leave early and he didn’t want to be fucked out of his mind on the way back home alone. He still shared a joint with Louis on the porch. Harry felt lucky to be in Louis’ presence, that he wanted him there. He was just so smart and talented and Harry felt like life was a confusing blur to everyone in the world except Louis Tomlinson.  

“It’s just that art is what gives meaning to life, you know? With narrative we give order, of course, but it’s more than that. God, or any gods, are a creation of man, so like, in a way, they’re art. We make sense of everything through art.” Louis was saying, his eyes sparkling with passion. Harry nodded, fascinated. “And like, do you know that movie, The Belly of An Architect.” Harry nodded again, even though he had no idea. “Well, the movie starts with the conception of a baby, and it ends with the death of the protagonist. It’s all perfectly symmetrical. We don’t see stuff like that in real life. We don’t get the meaning of how time continues to move forward and how one life replaces another. We can only see that through stories, through art.”

Later that same night Harry woke up to Stan sitting on his legs and getting back up quickly at Harry’s protest.

“Shit. Sorry, mate, didn’t see you there. I though you had gone home with Liam.” 

Harry shook his head pointing to where Liam was sleeping on the other couch. 

“Liam’s sleeping here.” He said in a groggy voice. “I was just leaving.”

Stan snorted as if to say: “clearly”. 

“Well, I’m staying and Jesy’s room is rather… occupied. So move over.” Harry shifted so he was sitting on the end of the couch, allowing Stan to lie down on it. 

“Occupied how? Is Jesy there?” 

“Yep. Louis is fucking her. They didn’t even notice I was there, had to get out all spy-like. Hope I don’t remember that tomorrow.” Stan settled his head on Harry’s lap and got comfortable. 

“Oh.” Harry answered, processing. “Are you even still drunk?” 

“No, but maybe the trauma is enough to wipe away the memory.” Stan fell asleep just after saying that. Harry didn’t know if he should go now and take away Stan’s pillow, of if he should just accept it and stay. He stayed there deliberating for long minutes until he heard a door closing down the hall.

“Curly? You’re still here? Are you staying?” Louis said from the dimly lit corridor. He was still slurring his words and he wobbled as he took his coat from the couch Liam was on. “Come on, I’ll take you home.” 

“Your house is farther away than mine.” Harry protested as he carefully placed a cushion under Stan’s head and grabbed his own coat. “And you’re drunker than me. I’ll take you home.” 

“You are younger than me. Like, way younger. You can’t take me home.” Louis protested and it made Harry laugh too loudly. He could still hear Liam’s grumbling as they went out the door.

 

Just a block later Louis was bent over emptying the content of his stomach. Harry watched from a few cautious steps back but when the heaving turned into sobs he ran forward to comfort Louis. 

“Hey, hey, what’s going on?” He whispered as he hugged the other boy. Louis shook his head and tears slipped out of his eyes.

“I didn’t like her. I don’t like her at all.” He said brokenly and hugged Harry back. 

 

 

The school organised a little weekend trip for their year. It was experimental, to see if a weekend dedicated entirely to study for the A levels had a positive effects on the results. They went to a little hotel, nothing too fancy, but it had a pool and the rooms were okay. Harry hadn’t been going to parties for the last few weeks, he was trying to focus entirely on his studies. Zayn was doing it too, so it wasn’t that hard. The trip seemed like a great idea. 

Except of course no one actually studied. They spent their time in the pool and playing football. On saturday night most of students were sneaking around to each other’s room. There was a small party in Stan and Louis’ room. Harry didn’t feel like going but Zayn did so he was left alone in their room with his iPod for company. 

Around eleven he heard a knock on the door and opened to find a slightly tipsy Louis looking at him with a frown. 

“Why aren’t you in my room?” He demanded petulantly. Harry smiled at him and motioned for him to enter.

“I’m not in party mood, sorry.” Louis sighed at him. 

“So, what are you in the mood for?” 

“I was thinking about watching one of the movies I have on my iPod.” Harry answered hesitantly, watching a strangely frustrated look take over Louis’ face. Louis huffed. 

“Well, then.” He said and sat on Harry’s bed, his back against the headboard. “Show me what you have.”

 

 

It was just a couple of weeks before the A levels and Harry was in full study mode. He didn’t even let Gemma, back from uni for the week, distract him with her uni stories. He was locked in his room, ignoring the music and the voices from the living room. He didn’t even know what day it was, but he suspected it was friday and Gemma was having a party with all her friends from home. After hours of tortuous studying he decided to go for a glass of water. He found Louis in the kitchen, deep in conversation with some of Gemma’s friends. They all looked at Harry and nodded at him, clearly not wanting to engage him in conversation. It was fine by Harry. He was never friends with them. They weren’t even from the Ring. 

As he put a glass under the tab to fill it with water he felt a hand on his waist and someone breathing near his ear.

“Aren’t you going to say hi, Harold? How very rude.” Louis whispered, his breath making Harry shiver slightly.

“I didn’t think you’d want me to.”  Harry said, taking a small step back so he could face Louis. Louis’ hand didn’t leave his waist. 

“Of course I want you to.” Louis said with a frown. “What have you been up to these days?” 

“Studying like mad, mate, what else?” Louis nodded in sympathy.

“Yeah, if it wasn’t for your sister being here I would be on lockdown too.”

The silence that followed was a little awkward, and Harry didn’t want to lose Louis’ attention now he had it. So he said the first thing that came to mind.

“Have you heard the new John Frusciante album?” 

“Can’t say I have. Why?” 

“Oh, you should, it’s so awesome. There’s this one song, man, it’s the greatest song ever.” He felt a bit stupid, but he wasn’t lying and Louis was smiling at him, the corners of his eyes crinkling and his long teeth showing. 

“You should show it to me, then.” He said brightly, making Harry flush because it was a really long song and if Louis didn’t like it and thought he was boring Harry would feel awful about it. But Louis was already going to his room and Harry could only follow.

 

“It’s… okay, but I don’t think it’s the greatest…” Louis started. He was sitting on Harry’s desk chair facing Harry who was sitting in his bed. Harry shushed him. 

“Just listen.” 

Louis obeyed and just looked at Harry as the guitar solo started and went on and on. He moved his head to the rhythm and started to smile a little, pleased. As the song came to an end he smiled even bigger.

“I can see why you like it so much.” He said and leaned forward to place a kiss to Harry’s forehead. Harry smiled back, giddy with the attention. 

 

The next time Harry saw Louis outside of school was weeks after the A levels at Liam’s. He lived on a sixth floor and had a great terrace. It was only Liam, Zayn, Niall, Harry and Louis that night because most people in their year were gone already. They were smoking a joint, enjoying the slight summer wind. 

“So, Harry, what is it that you’re going to study now?” Louis asked, passing the joint to Niall.

“I got accepted into Law. I’m gonna be a lawyer.” He said, proudly. It was a respectable profession. He was  going to be a respectable man. Louis frowned at him for such a long time that the conversation continued without them. After long minutes he said:

“I don’t see you as a lawyer.” 

Harry shrugged. He didn’t see himself as a lawyer either but he knew after four years in law school he would. Louis sighed and smiled at him, lifting a hand to go through Harry’s curls. 

“What do you see me as, then?” The younger boy asked, leaning into the touch. 

“Honestly? I see you as a rock star.” Harry laughed loudly at that. 

 

They watched the sunrise, all five of them, with blankets around their shoulders because even in summer it wasn’t quite that warm. 

“I’m leaving for London in a few hours.” Louis announced, subdued, and leaned his head on Harry’s shoulder.

“You won’t be forgotten.” Niall answered and they all hummed in agreement. 

Louis clung a little longer to Harry as they said goodbye than with the other boys. Harry went home and started packing for his long journey to the USA. 

 

 

He started dreaming about him just as his grades in uni started plummeting. They weren’t nice dreams. Louis always died. Harry thought it strange. They had never been close. It was even debatable if they had ever been friends. There was a lot of people from home Harry cared much more about that could visit his dreams. It started freaking him out after a few months of the same type of dreams. 

He stalked Louis’ facebook a bit, making sure he was still alive. He was. His hair was different and his pictures were full of new plays he had been in. Harry relaxed after that. 

At the end of the second year in law school, he was killing time on facebook when Louis talked to him. 

Louis: “Hey Curly. How’s law school?”

Harry: “It’s cool, learning a lot.”

Louis: “Yeah? You like it?”

Harry: “Yeah, love it. How’s drama school?”

Louis: “Absolutely awesome! I got a small part on a movie!”

Harry: “What’s it about?”

Louis: “Nothing very interesting, really. Just about some guys on a road trip.”

Harry: “And what are you going to be?”

Louis: “Don’t laugh. I’ll be a waiter. I’m on the movie for about 2 min.”

Harry: “hahahahahahaha”

Louis: “Hey!”

Harry: “No, but honestly, that’s really awesome. I’m happy for you.”

Louis: “Thanks.”

 

Two days later Harry dropped out of law school. He took a semester off and worked in different places, making a little money. He grew restless after a while and decided to give uni another go. He started sociology. 

The dreams about Louis returned a year later. Annoyed, he called Zayn to talk about it. 

“That’s so weird, bruh.” His friend said and Harry agreed. “Why are you even thinking about him? You weren’t that close, right?”

And that was the first time Harry told the complete version of his and Louis’ story. He had never talked about it. Not because it was private. Just because it never seemed important. But he wanted Zayn to know that he wasn’t that much of a nutter, to be dreaming about someone he had never even really spoken to.  

“You think he was a bit in love with you?” Zayn asked by the end of Harry’s story and Harry frowned because, what?

“What?”

“Yeah, I mean, the way you tell it he seemed to be really into you.” Harry flushed all over and absolutely refused to consider it. 

“I was practically three years younger than him! Still am, I guess, but back then I was a baby to him.”

Zayn hummed neutrally. 

“What does that have to do with me dreaming about him dying, anyway?” 

“No idea. Your subconscious is fucked up.” 

 

Harry wasn’t gay. He sometimes wished he was. That seemed stupid because he knew it would make life much more complicated. But growing up in a very accepting and open environment made Harry feel like he needed something to make him a little different. It didn’t happen. In his years of fumbling around in uni he caught himself wishing he was gay just to justify what a fuck up he was. He berated himself extensively for that thought. 

 

Louis: “You’re studying sociology now? What happened to law?”

 

Harry didn’t answer. He stared at his facebook chat for three hours before he sent the mail that made it official. He wasn’t studying sociology anymore. 

 

‘Machine’ hit the theatres that summer. Five years after leaving Sixth Form, Louis Tomlinson became an internationally famous actor and Harry decided to move to LA to study music production. 

 

He got asked the same question many times. “You’re from Doncaster? Did you know Louis Tomlinson?” And he always wanted to answer that Doncaster wasn’t that small, that he could have perfectly lived there at the same time as Louis and never seen him. But he didn’t have the heart to lie about it so he told the simple story. He told the complete story to Nick one night after his nightly show. Nick jumped around him for a bit.

“You totally had an almost romance with Louis Tomlinson!” Harry denied it, but to no avail. 

 

He was playing around in a studio at uni when one of his teachers stopped by the door and told him he should sing. Harry considered it carefully then called Niall. Niall played the guitar, he knew stuff. Niall told him he was in LA too and that he would be willing to start a band. 

 

——--

 

He’s drinking a pint with Niall after a great gig at a small bar. He’s still buzzing from the stage energy but he feels content in a way that nothing else makes him feel. Niall is in the mood to reminisce about their days back home and somehow Harry ends up telling his story with Louis Tomlinson. Niall is silent for a long time before he asks:

“You sure you’re not gay? Not even a little bit?” 

And Harry finds it frustrating because the story doesn’t make sense to him. He just doesn’t see it like that. 

He remembers Louis talking about life making sense through art and he decides to give it a shot. He asks his friend Ed to help him write songs and he tells the story as well as he can through them. It seems a little stupid. It’s not a love story. He isn’t even sure it is an important story. But he writes it and he sings it. He never answers when people ask who their record is about, only Niall, Harry and Ed know. 

Through the teacher who told him to sing Harry gets their record in the office of a very important person in Syco. He doesn’t expect anything from it. The man is probably not even going to listen to it. 

They get the call three weeks later and suddenly, miraculously, they’re signed the next month. Six moths later he wakes up to a message on his facebook chat.

 

Louis: “I told you you were going to be a rock star. I feel like I need an award for my prophetic abilities.”

Harry: “Not quite a rock star. You’ll just have to settle for your Oscar.”

Louis: “Pity, the oscar is getting lonely.”

 

A year later he’s on tour with the band. They’re in Paris and Zayn came to see them and Harry feels like maybe life doesn’t get better than cooling off from his concert high with his two best friends in a Burger King at 3 am. 

 

“Curly?” He hears a pleasantly high pitched voice call from behind. He turns in his seat and his jaw drops because Louis fucking Tomlinson is in the same Burger King as he is and they’re in Paris and nothing makes sense. 

“Louis?” he calls, a bit stupidly. Zayn gets up and goes to hug Louis and then Liam who is standing beside him. Niall does the same but Harry can’t move. He doesn’t really know anything anymore. Were they ever close enough to warrant a hug now? Should he just wave? Should he shake their hands?

Shaking their hands seems like the most diplomatic approach so he offers his hand to Louis. The actor huffs at it and wraps his arms around Harry’s neck, hugging him close. It takes Harry back to the last time they saw each other. Louis had hugged him much in the same way. He’s smaller now. Or rather, Harry is taller than him now. When he hugs back he feels like he could lift Louis and take him away. 

They detach after a long while and just stare at each other. Louis’ smile hasn’t changed. It’s still his long teeth and his crinkled eyes. His hair is different and he has some tattoos now. He’s even more good looking now that he was back in school. 

Zayn clears his throat and Harry notices Liam waiting awkwardly for him to acknowledge him. He feels a bit guilty and he goes for the manly half hug. They all eat at the same table and exchange numbers.

 

Harry feels dazed for days afterwards. He wonders if he’s just starstruck with the whole movie star deal. He decides that’s not it. He starting to remember feeling the same way when he had Louis’ attention for long periods of time back in school. That gets him thinking. 

 

He’s in Doncaster visiting his mom when she asks him to listen to the album together. He’s a bit embarrassed about it but he agrees. He sits with her in the living room and listens to song after song, pieces of the same story. By the end he’s sitting with his head in his hands because Louis was right. Life doesn’t make sense while you’re living it. Art gives life sense. Stories make life have sense. This is their story and it is a love story.

 

He texts Niall.

Harry: “I think I might be gay for Louis Tomlinson.”

Niall: “No, duh. Definitely didn’t see that coming.”

He goes up to his childhood room, remembers Louis listening to John Frusciante with him as he looks for the name “Louis” in his cellphone contacts.

 

“Harry?” Louis sounds confused and even his voice is so pretty.

“Louis.” He manages. He knows he sounds wrecked. 

“Hi! You alright?”

“Would you like to go on a date with me?” There’s a long silence on the line and Harry freaks out. It’s been seven years. He’s a fucking idiot. Even if it was a love story back then it’s way too late now. 

 

“Yeah. Yeah! I’d like that.” Louis answers finally, his voice breathy and small. “I’d really like that.”

**Author's Note:**

> I'm on tumblr too. [iwillsingwithyou](http://iwillsingwithyou.tumblr.com)


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